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Saturday morning, Kearny beautification volunteer Bill Dunn (seen in the background) mowed and vacuumed up dead weeds in the Copper and Rail Park on Hwy. 177. Volunteers also hauled in water to give the thirsty trees a drink. Dunn and other volunteers have been planting desert plants along Tilbury Dr. in Kearny and spreading fertilizer at the park so it will be nice and green for the July 4th activities in Kearny this year.
By Kearny Mayor Sam Hosler
The lone cowboy rides again! Last Friday the Rail and Copper Park was cleaned, top to bottom, by Bill Dunn. This was his own gift to the people of Kearny. The park had become weedy and overgrown, and when Bill heard about Town Manager Anna Flores’ intention to clean it, Bill speeded up the process by doing it himself.
There’s another actor in the story. The pump which waters the trees and plants in the park has been broken, so the good folks at ASARCO are using their electricians to get it going again. ASARCO is also planning a big Day of Service to Kearny in October, when many mine employees will do some big projects for the benefit of the town.
Thanks Bill, and thanks ASARCO. This is the sort of public spiritedness which makes a great town greater.
Later this year the flower planter project will get underway on Alden. With flowers in the pots and the planting of some new trees, our business section will become more attractive.
Over the past year, the cooperation of all our citizens has resulted in the removal of tons (yes, tons!) of garbage and debris. Another “Journey for a Clean Kearny” day next spring will help out even more.
A welcome sight in Kearny on Monday was the ice truck with the mercury reaching over 115 degrees. Wonder if all that ice was able to cool down things a bit?
The heat is really on, and I don’t mean the records temperatures we have been experiencing this week. I mean the town’s budget. The Town Council had hoped to have a go with a first draft this week, but the State of Arizona was late with its shared revenue figures. So the first budget meeting will be during a special session on Monday, June 27, at 6 p.m.
My first impression is not good for the budget. Our expenditures on infrastructure (water, sewer, roads, etc.) continue to climb, partly to meet high environmental standards. The shared revenues have ticked up a bit, but not by enough to offset the higher expenses. Sales tax and property tax revenues are pretty static as our expenses climb.
We are currently operating with an undersized town crew. Employee salaries are among the lowest in Arizona, and medical costs are up. We benefitted financially with the assistance the Department of Public Safety and the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office have provided our police department, but the future is far from clear.
The good news is that recent audits have gone well. Frankly, our management of money is at a standard most towns in Arizona envy. I have hopes that copper prices will go up, that we will be more aggressive in seeking more businesses and more residents, and that our ten-year plan we are developing will assist us with positive growth.
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